Balkans

The prospect of Kosovo’s acceptance into the International Monetary Fund is raising some awkward questions in Serbia, and has precipitated debate within the country about the fate of the former province’s debt. The countries that made up the former Yugoslavia have divided up the debt, including IMF obligations, as well …

Macedonia’s outgoing President Branko Crvenkovski has made a last ditch appeal as Head of State to the government to increase its efforts and find a quick compromise with Greece on the so-called ”name” row. In his farewell meeting with the press before he formally steps down on May 12, Crvenkovski …

If we want the current initiative of the European Commission on resolving the border issue between Slovenia and Croatia to work, “Slovenia would have to receive a much better proposal that Olli Rehn`s latest proposal”, former Slovene prime minister and the president of the most powerful oppositional party, the Slovene …

PODGORICA, Montenegro The president of the Social-Democratic Party (SDP), Ranko Krivokapic, won re-election on Wednesday (May 6th) as parliament speaker after the nomination of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic for a sixth term late last week. The ruling coalition backed Krivokapic’s nomination, while the opposition voted against it. After the vote, …

TIRANA, Albania The government decided late on Wednesday (May 6th) to grant NATO permission to patrol its airspace until the Albanian air force starts patrolling it on its own. Parliament is expected to adopt the measure soon, without objections from the opposition. Albania joined NATO in early April.

PRISTINA, Kosovo A delegation of ambassadors from the EU’s 27 member states visited Kosovo on Wednesday (May 6th) to gather more information on efforts by EULEX personnel. The ambassadors, members of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) in Brussels, assist with the EU’s political activities by preparing opinions for European …

SKOPJE, Macedonia Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic arrived on Thursday (May 7th) for an official visit to Skopje, the first by a Serbian official since Macedonia recognised Kosovo’s independence and Belgrade recalled its ambassador to Skopje last October.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) The chief prosecutor of The Hague war crimes tribunal, Serge Brammertz, confirmed on Wednesday (May 6th) that the tribunal has destroyed around 1,000 pieces of evidence from mass graves in the Srebrenica area.

Bulgaria is counting on loans from Russia, Germany and France to build a new four-billion-euro nuclear power plant on the Danube, Deputy Economy and Energy Minister Yavor Kuyumdjiev said Thursday. Funding for the plant, which was due to come from the Bulgarian state and German power giant RWE, was proving …

The size and cost of the Alexander the Great statue planned for Skopje’s central square, as well as the lack of transparency on the part of the authorities over its commissioning, has provoked a series of attacks on the proposal. Art critics, sculptors and architects alike argue that the grandiose …